The Heart's One
by Reese M
Summary: This chapter of The Heart's series focuses on Pete and his desire to find his One. He wants what Myka has with Helena, but he fears he will never find it. Following an accident with an artifact that alters reality, a reality where for a brief moment Pete and Myka think they're in love, Pete gives up on finding his One. Of course that's just when she appears in his life. Pete/OC B/W
1. Chapter 1

This was going to be a long trip and Pete knew it. They hadn't even left South Dakota yet and already Myka was sulking because she was sent on a mission that was taking her five hundred miles away from her wife and daughter. Pete could have dealt with Myka easily if it were just the guilt and heartbreak of leaving Charlie for the first time, but in typical female fashion it wasn't just that set of emotions he had to wade through. There was also Myka's excitement over being on the trail of an artifact again, her happiness over being back to work. The emotional storm in Myka was what was making this a rough start to their assignment. Pete didn't know which Myka he was getting from minute to the next and it was making him seasick.

Pete sat in the waiting area near their gate with his attention on his iPad. He was on his seventh attempt at level one hundred thirteen on Candy Crush when movement on his right side made him glance over. Two seats over a woman with long red hair had settled in to wait out the hour they had before they could board their plane. In the quick glance over Pete could tell she was pretty but what took his attention away from his game wasn't that she was pretty it was what she was wearing.

"Are you a Browns fan?" He asked her with a look of surprise on his face.

The woman looked up at Pete and blinked her lovely hazel eyes. She looked down at the fitted Cleveland Browns jersey she had on for a moment and then back up at Pete with a bit of grin. "Would I be wearing this in public if I weren't?"

Pete laughed. He set aside his iPad so he could use both hands to pull up his pant legs while raising his feet so he could show her the brown and orange Browns socks he had on. "I'm technically on the clock so socks were all I could get away with." He let go of his pant's legs and shifted so he was facing her. "Are you from Cleveland? I grew up in the West Park area myself."

She gave him a full smile as she answered. "Kind of. I was born in Cleveland but my Mom was in the army, so we went where she went."

"Ahh, army brat." Pete teased. He tapped the Got Your 6 pin on his lapel. "Former Marine." Holding out his hand he said, "My name's Pete by the way."

"Clara." The pretty redhead said as she took Pete's hand in her own.

Walking up to where she'd left Pete while she went to the restroom and called Helena to check in on her and their six-month-old daughter Charlotte, Myka over heard him talking about football and groaned. He'd been on about the NFL draft for weeks and normally she ignored it, but her nerves were frazzled and she just couldn't tune him out. She was about to say something to him when he spotted her and smiled. That boyish smile defused whatever sour thing she was going to say. It wasn't his fault she was feeling guilty about being eager to get back into the field.

"See Mykes," Pete said with a grin. "I'm not the only one who thinks the Browns might actually have a chance this season."

Myka raised and eyebrow and smirked. "You say that every season, Pete, and at the end of every season you whimper and say, there's always next year."

Pete huffed and turned to Clara. "Don't mind her. She's grumpy because this is her first time traveling since her kid was born."

Clara gave Myka a sympatric look. "It's alright. I hear that's a hard thing to do the first time."

Myka gave the woman a soft smile that said thanks. Pete introduced them and for the next hour they chatted. Because they were federal agents on official business they were among the first to board so they said goodbye to Clara and headed for the plane. Myka could feel the anxiety building to near panic levels. Leaving town for the city to get to the airport was one thing, but now she was about to get on a plane and leave the state! Just as she was about to freak out she felt Pete's hand on her back. She turned to look at him; he smiled in that sweet it'll be all right way of his and sure enough she felt herself starting to relax. She boarded the plane after taking a deep breath and then once she was settled in her seat she distracted herself by working on ideas for the book she was thinking of writing.

After checking into their hotel Pete and Myka headed for the source of the ping, The Mall of America. Stepping into the mega mall Pete looked around with wide child like eyes. It was huge and according to the website full of awesome cool meganerdy things like a theme park, an aquarium, Star Trek, and, "LEGO!"

"Not now Pete." Myka said firmly. "Artifact first. Legos later."

Pete pouted. "Don't use your mom voice on me, Mykes."

Myka smiled sweetly. "Why do you think I learned mom voice, Pete? Charlie isn't old enough for mom voice yet."

Since they didn't really know what they were looking for the pair began walking around hoping to see something or smell something that would give them a clue. Pulling out her iPad Myka did a search on the mall to see if that would lead anywhere. She was able to discover that the mall had lost a number of its larger anchor stores awhile back and had been tittering between the red and black for a while now. Then recently there'd been a major and very sudden upswing that had gone against all the business predictions. Given the size of the place and the variety of its attractions outside of shopping, it would be easy to hide the fact that perhaps an artifact was being used. Who would second-guess a turn for the better for a place like this during an economic upswing?

It wasn't easy but Pete and Myka managed to work their way into the executive branch of the company. They both disliked working with corporate types. Something about working with money this high up the ladder does something to people, even good people, and it always left Myka with a headache. As the daughter of small business owners, corporate commerce left a bad taste in her mouth to begin with. Getting the run around from the soulless suits just made the whole thing that much worse. It took two days but Pete and Myka were finally able to discover that the man who'd been coming up with all the brilliant new ideas had gotten Harry Gordon Selfridge's pocket watch at an auction while in London. It took another full day to find the guy because just like Selfridge a downward spiral had followed the wealth and riches of success. After neutralizing the pocket watch Pete promised not to tell the man's wife about the twin hookers in Vegas while Myka looked on in disgust.

When they got back to South Dakota Helena was waiting on them with a giggling Charlie in her arms. Pete watched as his best friend practically ran to her family. Myka took Charlie from Helena and cuddled her, kissed her chubby little cheeks, and then kissed Helena hello.

"We couldn't wait a moment longer to see you." Helena said softly as she beamed at Myka. "So we decided to surprise you with a welcome home lunch in the city."

"I missed you too." Myka replied before kissing Helena again.

Pete watched and despite how happy he was for his friends he couldn't help but wonder if he would ever have that. The Warehouse made him a better man and he would never leave it or the family he'd made there, but would he ever get the chance to have what Myka had? He put on his boyish smile as he walked over tothe women to tell them to go enjoy themselves. He would take the artifact back to the Warehouse and see them at home later. When he got to the Warehouse he was still wondering if he would ever have the kind of love Myka had, that once in a lifetime connection with someone who knew you better than you knew yourself, who was friend, lover, partner and more all rolled into one pretty package.

He was so distracted by his thoughts that Pete didn't even notice that as he turned the corner he bumped into the stacks, dislodging an artifact that tumbled to the floor. The display that gave the details for Schrodinger's Cat Box began flashing red.


	2. Chapter 2

Sometimes things moved so slowly at the Warehouse that Pete found himself getting into trouble because he was bored and always looking for something fun or interesting. Sometimes things moved so fast that he felt as if he hadn't even had time to take a breath. Lately it had been the latter. He woke up feeling like everything up to that moment had been a hazy blur of events, like someone had set his dreams on super fast forward. Sitting off the edge of his bed he tried to sort out his dreams, piecing together everything that had happened over the last six or so weeks. Paracelsus, Lisa Da Vinci, Claudia's sister, Kelly, all flashed in his memory. The thought of Kelly made him groan. What had she meant when she'd said they would have never worked out because he was in love with Myka? In love with Myka, Pete laughed. She was his best friend of course he loved her. But in love with her? Was he in love with Myka?

Pushing to his feet Pete made his way to the bathroom to start his morning routine. Thankfully when he went downstairs for breakfast he found Myka had already left for the Warehouse. He'd been feeling really awkward around her since Kelly's revelation. He couldn't shake the idea, and he knew Myka knew him well enough that she would pick up on his awkwardness around her and he didn't want to have to explain it to her. When he got to the Warehouse he found out that Claudia's sister was missing, again, and the whole team would be needed for this one. So despite his best efforts, trying and failing more than once to get Steve to take Myka, he found himself alone with her. When Claudia showed up with the record and superhero briefs he'd never been happier to see the young woman, and not just because she was saving him and a park full of people from having their bodies shut down.

For the most part he could ignore his feelings about Myka because they had bigger issues to deal with, like Claire was a Borg, and Bizarro Valda trying to move the Warehouse to China. But when the day was once again saved there was nothing to distract him from his thoughts, or Steve from asking questions.

"You were great in China." Myka said with a smile before leaving the boys in Artie's office to check on Artie.

"Pete?" Steve said once they were alone and after watching the way Pete looked at Myka.

"Ok Mister human lie detector." Pete said as he leaned close. "You look me in the eye and tell me I'm lying." Pete paused, struggled with the words, and then said, "I'm in love with Myka Bering."

The expression of utter shock on Jinks' face was enough to tell him this wasn't right. "Oh my god you are." His friend had replied. And there it was. The truth. Pete was in love with Myka. But how could that be the truth? Hadn't the real truth been spoken in that telenovela when the Maria character shouted, "You can't kiss her! You're brother and sister!"

"Pete?" Steve said as he waved a hand in front of his friend's face. "Pete, you ok?"

Pete snapped out of it and frowned. "Do you smell fudge?"

Steve looked at him oddly. "No. Do you?"

Before Pete could answer Artie and Myka came storming into the office. "The compass is still active."

They tried everything but to no avail. The compass would not stop its slow click towards ending Warehouse 13. Finally Mrs. Fredric had to say enough was enough. There were certain things that needed to be taken care of before the Warehouse moved. The six of them gathered around a stone table with odd markings Pete didn't know. Mrs. Fredric explained that the table would show and store each of their defining moments as agents. To show them an example she called up H.G's moment, capturing Jack the Ripper and his lantern.

Myka sat there watching Helena with an ache in her heart she couldn't explain. She felt as if something was off, like Helena was a dream she just couldn't reach because something was blocking her from it. A smile tugged on her lips as she listened to Helena's beautiful voice speak of the Empire and chuckled softly to herself. Back before Yellowstone she would often sit and listen to Helena rant and rave about how the men had managed to loose the Empire while she was in bronze.

"Wowsa, that was better than 3D imax." Claudia said brightly.

"Yeah, that was amazing but why are we watching highlight reels of H.G. when she's playing house with what's his name in Wisconsin?" Pete asked.

"Actually, they broke up." Myka said. "She's now dating a woman named Giselle." No, wait, that wasn't right, was it? Yes, Helena had left Wisconsin behind but hadn't she, and weren't they, no Myka had never gotten up the courage and neither had Helena. Looking away from Helena's flickering image she turned her gaze on Pete. Would she loose him too now that the Warehouse was ending?

Myka frowned. Was that fudge she was smelling?

"This is to soon." Artie said, clearly unhappy about what was about to happen. He didn't like they idea of giving up any more then Pete or Myka, or any of them. This Warehouse was different from the one's that had come before. It was different because they weren't just colleagues, or co-workers, or even just friends, they were a family, damnit!

Myka sat there fighting back tears as she watched Pete get rather nasty with Mrs. Fredric about what was happening. This was her home, and these people her family, what would she do outside of the Warehouse? Go back to being a career driven secret service agent who went home alone every night? Go home to Colorado again and wither away in her parents' bookstore? She couldn't go back to that. There was more for her out there, she knew it. She could feel it. Love, children, even a dog maybe, it was there all she had to do was reach for it, right? But how would she get to it if she lost the Warehouse? She couldn't explain it but deep down Myka knew the Warehouse was key to her happiness.

They watched Claudia's highlights and then her defining moment. Myka's feet hurt just remembering all that tap dancing. When it was over Myka looked to the young woman she'd thought of as a little sister. "Claud, if that's your defining moment why the sad face?"

Turns out the table didn't just show and record their defining moments. It made them face things they kept buried deep inside. Claudia knowing she was linked to the Warehouse but wanting to be an agent more than caretaker right now. Steve worrying about not having a moment because he felt like he still didn't belong. Artie revealing he had a son in order to show Claudia that sometimes it was ok to be selfish. When it came to her moment it was all about what Myka loved most about her job, getting to be smart and kick ass, but what got her attention more than that was the sheer amount of Helena in her highlight reel.

"Hello." Steve said when Myka's moment was over.

"What?" Myka replied as she turned to look at Steve.

"You so have a thing for Pete." Steve said as if he were confused and in awe all at the same time.

"Pete? What? No." Myka started laughing. "Very funny."

Steve smiled, or maybe it was more of a smirk. "Look at your face."

She did. She looked at her face in the memory and once again Myka smelled fudge. There she was looking all doe eyed at Pete. Pete? No. No, that wasn't right. She'd never had those kinds of feelings for Pete. Had she? Was she in love with Pete? Getting up from the table Myka had to go find Pete, she needed to know what was going on. Pete had stormed off, unwilling to even think of accepting what was going on. She tracked him down by the compass, which he was trying to stop but with no luck. "What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry Myka but I'm not going to let my future be decided by a glowing hunk of metal." Pete said while glaring at the compass as it slowly turned on its pedestal.

"Pete, listen," Myka began but Pete wouldn't shut up. He continued to babble on about loosing the Warehouse and stopping the move. He talked about how much she meant to him and how he'd been lost before finding his place at the Warehouse with her and the others. He talked about his failures and being a screw up in everything else but being a Warehouse agent. It was more than clear that he was going through something right now but she needed to know, she needed to know why out of nowhere she felt as if she were being pushed towards him. Walking up to him Myka grabbed him by the shoulders, and then by the face, and kissed him.

Pete had been so caught up in loosing the Warehouse, in loosing Myka, that he'd gotten himself all worked up and unable to focus on anything else. He'd been able to put aside the whole in love with Myka thing but then she was there, and she was getting closer and closer, and then she kissed him. A part of him felt like this was the best moment of his life ever, but another part of him felt this was utterly and completely wrong. Then there was a part of him deep down in a foggy place that suddenly feared for his life or worse his manhood.

When they pulled apart Pete and Myka stared at each other while they sorted out feelings and thoughts and then finally in unison they said, "Do you smell fudge?"

Pete felt a mix of grief, sadness, and relief when he and Myka figured out that there was an artifact at play here. They didn't know what or how but it was easy enough to work out once they knew that every time they thought they were in love with each other they smelled fudge. Running back to the others Pete said, "Stop! This is all wrong! All of this…"

"Peter." Mrs. Fredric scolded.

"No." Myka said with a shake of her head. "There's an artifact effecting us."

"How do you know?" Artie asked.

"Because when I kissed Pete…" Myka began.

Claudia looked grossed out. "You kissed Pete? Eww that would be like me kissing Josh."

"Exactly!" Myka exclaimed. "Every time Pete or I thought we were in love with the other we smelled fudge. When I kissed him we both smelled fudge." Myka and Pete did their best to explain their theory but everyone else seemed skeptical. Steve said maybe they were just trying to hard to fight their true feelings and that's when Myka said, "I've been having this feeling that something very important to me is just out of my reach. It was strongest when I watched Helena's moments."

"What's H.G. got to do with this?" Claudia asked.

"I can't explain it," Myka said softly. "But something deep down inside is telling me she's important to me."

There was silence for a moment and then Mrs. Fredric said, "Myka, put your hand on the table again. This time, focus on H.G. and not on the Warehouse."

Myka did as she was asked. The table showed them Myka's defining moments with H.G. Wells. It showed everything from Helena saving her from the SUV by shooting them towards the sky with her grappler, to Helena waving to her from the driveway in Wisconsin, and everything in between. Then something odd happened. The playback began to spasm and flicker. One moment it showed Helena at the front door of Leena's asking Myka to have coffee but then the memory would morph into Myka sitting alone in the den eating pizza and reading a book. The next memory was fuzzy but looked like a picnic scene with her and Helena but then it changed into her and Pete at a park. Then everything got jumbled and very hard to make out but there were flashes of images of Myka in a wedding dress, a pregnant Helena, and a little baby girl with dark hair and Myka's eyes.

"What was that?" Myka asked, her voice thick with unshed tears. She felt violated. She felt like something had been stolen from her. She was hurt and angry and terrified.

Artie swallowed hard. "Something has messed with reality."

"Paracelsus?" Claudia asked.

"Valda?" Steve asked.

Artie shrugged. "I don't know."

"Well," Mrs. Fredric said as she stood. "Lets find out."

They searched the Warehouse on foot and combed its data banks for hours. They were tired, uncertain, and afraid. Where they just wasting time searching for something that wasn't there while the Warehouse slowly moved away from them? Myka didn't think so. With each passing moment she knew what she had seen, the glimpses of another life were real and she wanted that back.

Just when it seemed they would never find whatever it was they were looking for Trailer began barking. Artie ran over to see what had gotten Trailer's attention. "Ah ha!" He roared as he reached a purple-gloved hand under a stack of shelves.

"What is it?" Claudia asked as she watched him pull a box out from under the massive towering construct.

"Schrodinger's Box." Artie said as he huffed and puffed back to his feet from his kneeling position.

When they all gathered in Artie's office he explained Schrodinger's theory about how something could change reality, spitting it into two possibilities. "In one the cat is alive and in the other it's dead." He said as carefully closed the lid of the box.

"In one reality I'm with Helena." Myka said softly. "And in the other I'm not."

"Which one is the real one?" Pete asked.

"Both." Artie said. "Neither."

Pete groaned. "I'm getting a headache."

"So what do we do now?" Myka asked.

"We've clearly been affected by this thing." Artie said as he opened a canister of goo. "We do what we do with active artifacts. We neutralize it."

Pete looked chest fallen. In this reality he would be with Myka, they would be in love and have a life. Looking over at her, seeing her face, he couldn't do that to her. He couldn't keep her from what her heart was telling her was right. He couldn't take her from Helena. This isn't the way it ends. "Do it, Artie."

Artie nodded. Picking up the box he slowly let it sink into the goo. The sparks it made blinded them all, causing all of them to turn away but it wasn't enough. The light was so bright it blackened their vision. Or had their world gone black instead?


	3. Chapter 3

Reality had been reset to the moment just before Pete knocked over Schrodinger's Box. This time Mrs. Fredric had appeared in typical Mrs. Fredric fashion and stopped him from knocking it over, leaving things to play out from there. Satisfied that the world was once again the way it should be Mrs. Fredric put Louis XIV's fork back in it's box and once it was out of her possession she too forgot all about the world in which Pete and Myka thought they were in love with each other.

With reality the way it should be things like their battle with Paracelsus had played out differently. Helena had been there to help recreate Paracelsus' machine. She had been fascinated by the scientific reconstruction of the Warehouse but knew it was wrong and dangerous, and she was determined to bring the villain to his knees. Though they all thought it no one said anything about how it must have eaten at Helena that Paracelsus had used her time machine to actually go back and change history. Following Paracelsus' defeat Helena and Myka took Charlie to London for a little while and not even Artie complained about being two agents short because they all understood Helena needed to get away from what had happened.

With Myka in London Pete was sent to Washington D.C. with Steve where they worked with a couple of old friends he and Myka knew from the secret service. Watching Ted and Elise together made Steve admit he wondered sometimes if he would ever find someone because their work really didn't make it easy. Pete felt better knowing he wasn't the only one who worried about being alone forever. After D.C. Pete and Steve went to a renaissance fair, which he then added to the list of things he wanted to do with Charlie when she got big enough. It had also given him new material to tease H.G. about. Speaking of H.G. she and Myka returned just in time to deal with Claudia's sister Claire and Mirror Universe Valda. There was a weird discomfort between Pete and Myka that neither could explain, but Pete knew it wouldn't last when Myka gave him one of her looks when he said Valda's Borg like control device made him think of calling his ex-wife.

The Spanish soap opera thing had been fun, though Pete thought he looked a little too much like old pictures of his uncle Mark from the seventies. After saving Kelly's grandmother from her favorite show Pete had taken a few minutes to ask his now married and expecting ex what had gone wrong. Kelly had been sweet about it saying they just hadn't been each other's one. Pete had been taken aback by her phrasing. His One. Who was his One? Did he even have a One?

With the Warehouse safe and stable once again everyone was busy working on ways to make sure what happened could never happen again. Since Pete was more or less in the way since there were no pings to chase he was sent off with a long list of supplies they needed from stores that could only be found in the larger cities. It was a long drive from the Warehouse to anything remotely city like. Pete was cursing down the two-lane highway singing along to the radio while tapping out the drum line on the steering wheel when he saw a truck pulled off to the side of the road in the distance. As he got closer he could see there was someone standing outside the candy apple red pickup kicking its tires angrily. He slowed and when he was close enough to make the person out he could tell it was a woman.

Pete pulled in behind the pickup and got out of his car. "Need some help?"

"Oh thank god." The woman said as she turned to face Pete. A huge smile appeared on her lips at the sight of him. "Airport guy!"

Pete smiled at the pretty redhead he and Myka had chatted with weeks before. He searched his brain for her name and then smirked. "Clara right?" He paused long enough for her to nod and then reintroduced himself. "I'm Pete."

"Boy an I glad to see you again." Clara said with relief.

"What are you doing out in the middle of nowhere?" Pete asked.

"Running out of gas apparently." Clara huffed and then kicked her truck again as if it were its fault she ran out of gas and not her own.

Pete shook his head at her. "Out of gas an hour away from somewhere."

Clara chuckled. "Yeah, I know. Bonehead move."

"You said it not me." Pete chuckled and then offered. "I can take you to get gas and bring you back."

Sharpe hazel eyes took him in as she crossed her arms. "You'd drive an hour there and an hour back and then an hour there again?" He gave her a boyish smile and shrug his shoulders, and she shook her head. "You got things to do in the city?" He explained his errands. "Then how about I tag along? You can drop me and a can of gas off on your way home."

"If you don't mind running around the city with me for a couple of hours, sure." Pete said as he jerked his thumb towards his car as an invitation.

She made sure her truck was out of the way and secure before slipping into the passenger seat of Pete's car. As the car came to life the radio picked up where it had left off. Two is Better than One came on and it made her smile. She liked this band so she waited for the song to end before reaching for the control panel and turning the radio down so it was nothing more than white noise. "Thanks for this."

"No problem." Pete said with a soft your welcome smile. "I'm always up for rescuing damsels in distress."

"How very Superman of you." She teased.

"Well I was a boy scout." Pete replied.

Clara chuckled at the big blue Boy Scout reference. "Yeah, but was Clark ever really a boy scout? According to the cartoon he wasn't."

Pete turned his head to glance at her with a look of utter shock before looking at the road again. "So you're a Browns fan and a comic book fan?"

"I'm a renaissance woman." Clara said brightly.

For the rest of the drive they talked easily about the little things two strangers getting to know each other would talk about. By the second store Clara was comfortable enough to tease him about why he was buying what he was buying. He cracked jokes about this item or that partly because that's what he did and partly because he liked the sound of her laugh. By the time they finally decided to stop for lunch they were more comfortable asking more personal questions. Both were divorced, Pete lived way outside a small town called Univille while Clara had a small place in Featherhead she shared with her German Shepard, Sasha.

"Sasha?" Pete asked.

Clara shrugged, "I have a bit of a straight girl crush on Sasha Alexander."

"Ooo! Isles!" Pete said brightly. "Steve and I argue over that show all the time."

She knew Steve was one of his coworkers so she asked, "About the police stuff?"

Pete made a psst noise before saying, "Wither Maura and Jane are in love, which they are, or if they'er just BFFs."

Clara couldn't help but laugh.

About half way through their meals Clara said, "So what kind of feds are you guys? What are your initials?"

"Myka and I are Secret Service." Pete said with a shake of his head and a chuckle. "We don't use initials for obvious historical reasons."

"Ah good thinking." Clara replied, a soft smile on her lips. "What on earth are you guarding out in nowhere South Dakota?"

Pete groaned a bit. "We do more than just babysit politicians and dignitaries ya know."

Clara held her hands up in the universal gesture of no offence meant. "Ok, so what are you doing out here then?"

Pete blushed. "Safe guarding an IRS warehouse."

Clara snorted softly before laughing. "Seriously?"

"What?" Pete asked, half mocking his offence. "The U.S. government takes your privacy very seriously."

Clara snorted again.

Deciding he'd better turn the conversation away from his work Pete asked, "What do you do?"

"I'm a writer." Clara said. "A journalist."

"What kind of journalist?" Pete asked.

"Now, I'm a freelance sports writer." Clara replied.

Something in the way she said now made Pete ask, "And before now?"

"War correspondent." She answered.

After lunch they finished off Pete's list and then hit the gas station before heading back towards Clara's car. Pete was an easygoing guy but when it came to women he always seemed to be trying to hard. The thing about Clara was that he wasn't trying at all and that made it so much easier to talk and laugh with her. It was almost, almost, like being with Myka. Only he never looked at Myka's ass while she pumped gas into a gas can. When Clara stood and caught him looking he blushed, gave her a charmingly boyish smile, and thrust out the chocolate shake he'd bought for her. She laughed. He smiled around his straw.

When he finally made it home everyone bitched at him about taking all day getting his or her things on the list, everyone but Myka. Myka simply smiled at him and then asked, "Hey Pete, who's Clara Goodrem?"

"Huh?" Pete replied, looking confused for a moment.

Myka held out the paper bag from Trader Joe's she'd just emptied. On the inside of the bag in black sharpie was Clara's name and number. Pete smiled.

"So?" Myka asked. "Who is she?"

"Just a friend." Pete answered and then walked out of the kitchen and up to his room, still staring at the number in his hand.


	4. Chapter 4

Artie was right. It was nice having someone outside of the Warehouse. Spending a few minutes talking to Clara on the phone or meeting her somewhere for coffee or a movie felt like a cool rain after a long hot day, it was refreshing, reviving. Having a friend in the normal world kept Pete groaned in a way that his family couldn't because they were inside the crazy bubble with him. They didn't get to see each other as much as Pete would have liked for several reasons, she lived in Featherhead, which was a good distance away, he was always off chasing down an artifact, or she was off somewhere chasing a story. For now it worked for them. They talked and texted more often, and when they did have the chance they would meet up somewhere and hang out.

The last time they talked Clara had been waiting for her flight out of Miami, she'd just finished an interview with Cleveland's most hated and most loved basketball player about his return to the Cleveland Cavilers, and she'd said something about them going out to do have some fun when she got home. Before Pete could even think about what he was doing he was inviting her to the Bed and Breakfast for Charlie's birthday party. It wasn't until he and Myka were driving into Buffalo Gap National Grasslands to retrieve a misbehaving Native Americana artifact that he realized that inviting her to a family thing might be a big deal.

"So," Myka said with a playful smirk. "We finally get to meet Clara, huh? You must really like her to ask her to Charlie's party. I mean not only will we all be there but so will Jane."

It jolted him like licking a nine-volt battery. Yeah, he liked her, she was his friend, but the way Myka said it suddenly made him nervous about asking Clara to join them. "It's ok I asked her isn't it?"

"Of course it is." Myka said, still smirking. "I'm a little surprised you did though. I thought you wanted to keep Clara and the rest of us separate."

Pete gently shook his head. "Not from you guys, but from the Warehouse."

Myka thought about that and sighed. "I guess it says a lot that we don't often see us and the Warehouse as being independent of each other."

"Yeah," Pete agreed. The Warehouse was just as much a member of the family as the humans and dogs, and he would never take it for granted. The Warehouse had given him Myka and the others, it had given Myka Helena and it had given them Charlie. And maybe in a round about way it had given him the chance to meet Clara. But the Warehouse also took things from them and he was scared it would take her somehow.

The B&amp;B was all decked out in the lavender teddy bear theme Helena had picked out for the party. Since it was a first birthday the party was more for the adults than Charlie, though they were all pretty sure the one year old would love the small personal cake she would getting all to herself. Baby's on youtube seemed to love smashing the cake with in their tiny fists, and Pete couldn't wait to get Charlie on video doing just that. Is they could manage to get the toddle away from his mother that is. Jane had already laid claim to Charlie, who was all bright dark green eyes and giggles as Jane fussed over her long raven hair and lacey lavender dress. Helena, Myka, and Abigail were finishing off the last of the set up. Claudia was teasing Artie for being a fake sour puss while Vanessa hid her smirk behind her hand. Steve and Mrs. Fredric were talking about something or another. And Pete, he was nervously eating while waiting for Clara to show up.

"If you're not dating this woman, Peter," Jane said as she and Charlie walked up to him. "Why do you look so nervous?"

"We're not dating." Pete said for the hundredth time. "We're just friends. And I'm nervous because without thinking I asked her to come here, to the B&amp;B, the B&amp;B full of Warehouse people. I just don't want something weird to happen."

Jane put her free hand on her son's arm and then smiled when Charlie mimicked her by putting her little hand on top of Jane's. "Artie has everything under control. If something pops up he's ready to discreetly handle it with Claudia and Steve."

Pete relaxed but then the doorbell rang. He gave the room a quick once over and headed for the door, motioning for Claudia to sit back down. When he pulled the door open he smiled to see Clara standing there holding a present. "You made it."

"Of course I did." Clara said as she stepped inside. "I couldn't pass up meeting this special girl of yours." She let Pete hold the present while taking off her jacket and then traded him. "You talk about her like she's yours."

"She isn't." Pete said a little to quickly and then blushed. "I mean, I do love her, but she isn't…"

Clara laughed. "I know Pete. You explained the whole European stem cell thing the last time I teased you about it."

"Oh, yeah, right." Pete chuckled. "Ok, ya know what, never mind me. Come on, everyone's waiting to meet you." Walking into the living room together Pete rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he smiled. "Everyone, this is Clara. Clara, this is everyone."

Clara gave a little wave and smile. "Hello everyone."

"Pete." Claudia said with a sigh. "You're rubbish at introductions."

"Rubbish?" Pete repeated. "You spend to much time with H.G."

Claudia just waved him off while walking up to the new comer. The younger redhead smiled as she offered her hand. "Hi, I'm Claudia." She then began to introduce everyone by name.

Once Claudia was finished Pete took Charlie from his mother who'd come over to say hello to this girl her son was on about. He lifted Charlie up into the air to make her laugh and then settled her on his hip. "And this beautiful little lady is the birthday girl. Clara this is Charlotte. Charlie this is Clara."

"Happy birthday, Charlotte." Clara said with a soft smile.

Charlie's response was to stare at the strange new woman while nestling her head into Pete's neck. She was fine with the people she saw and interacted with everyday, she adored Pete and Claudia, Artie and Steve, but Charlie wasn't having it when it came to strangers. It took her time to warm up to someone new.

Clara had been around her cousins' babies so she knew a little about them being shy at first. She smiled. "I think she's warning me that you're her Pete."

Pete chuckled. "She gets the scary looks from her mothers."

Of course Clara and Helena hit if off almost right away since they both had writing in common. Clara found common ground with Jane when she told the older woman her father had been a teacher. Claudia was thrilled to have another redhead around. Myka was polite and welcoming but on guard. This woman had become someone important to Pete and her first response was to be protective of her best friend. She would need more time around Clara before she made a final judgment on her.

When the party ended Pete walked Clara out to her car. He was thrilled the afternoon had gone so well. "Thanks for coming."

"It was fun." Clara said with a smile.

Pete returned the smile. "I can owe you. You can pick what we do next time."

Clara nodded, still smiling. "I can do that. Of course if you came up with something we could do together, something a bit more than normal, and wanted to ask me I wouldn't say no."

There was that feeling again, that battery-licking jolt. Was she telling him it was ok if he wanted to ask her out? Did he want to ask her out? She was his friend, but maybe she could be more? Was he willing to risk it? "Ok. If I come up with anything maybe I'll give you a call."

She gave him a dazzling smile, kissed his cheek, and then got into her car before Pete could say a word. Pete stood there until she was to far down the driveway to see and then headed back inside to help clean up. Two days later he called Clara and asked if she wanted to have dinner and see a concert with him in Rapid City. Clara said she'd love too.

Several real dates later Pete was pulling up in front of Clara's house in Featherhead. It was about eighty percent windows and twenty present some light colored wood. It was a very modern looking house near a lake and trees that didn't give off a modern setting at all. Pete liked it. Clara was making them dinner and Pete had brought dessert. Pete finally got to meet Sasha who wasn't at all sure about him but as the evening wore on she decided he was tolerable. After a fine meal of Lake Erie walleye Pete cut up a pint of vanilla ice cream into disks which he then sandwiched between Artie's freshly baked cookies. Then they sat outside on the back deck, which over looked the lake, and just talked before talking turned into more. When Clara invited him into her bed he was more than willing to accept.

On the drive home the next day Pete had a lot on his mind so as soon as he got back to the B&amp;B he went looking for Myka. He found her in the backyard sitting on a large blanket with Charlie. He smiled when the toddler looked up to see him and squealed out his name before struggling to her feet. He let her walk part way before closing the distance and scooping her up.

"You look as if you had a good night." Myka teased as she watched her best friend dance around goofily with her daughter.

"I did." Pete said as he walked over and plopped down on the blanket. He placed Charlie on his lap but he knew she wouldn't stay long. Becoming a walker had only increased the girl's curiously about the world she lived in and she was always toddling off after something or another. Sure enough as soon as Charlie's gaze locked onto a butterfly she was of to chase it. "Hey Myka," Pete said as he watched the raven haired little explorer. "When did you know Helena was your one?"

Since Helena wasn't Myka Warehouse One, neither of them had a Warehouse One yet; Myka knew he meant when had she known Helena was the one meant for her. She gave it some thought, looking back on the memories of her life with Helena so far. "I kind of figured it out during that period of time between the Astrolabe and Wisconsin. She was always on my mind. I was always wondering where she was, what she was doing, and why she wasn't with me, not why wasn't she here at the Warehouse, but why wasn't she here with me."

Pete couldn't stop himself from flinching. "No wonder you acted the way you did in Wisconsin."

Myka sighed softly. "Yeah." She paused for a moment to tell Charlie to be careful and then continued. "I saw the whole thing as her giving up and us, on me, not the Warehouse. Which was totally unfair because she didn't know there was an us, or rather she didn't know I wanted there to be an us."

"And once you were an us?" Pete asked.

Everything about Myka brightened as she answered, "The first time I felt her put her arm around me before going to sleep."

Pete nodded his understanding. "When I woke up this morning Clara's head was on my chest. I've never felt anything like what I felt finding her there." He got quiet for a moment as he worked out his emotions. "I think I need to tell her about the Warehouse."

Myka's eyes went wide as she looked at Pete with surprise while reached out to snatch Charlie before she got hurt chasing after a bee. "Are you sure Pete? What if you and her don't work out? Do you really want to use your One on her?"

"Yeah, I do." Pete said softly. "Because I really, really want us to work out. I need to tell her Mykes because I'm pretty sure she's my one."

"Well," Myka said with the brightest smile. "If you think it's right, Pete. I'll support you and whatever you decide to do."

Pete didn't rush into anything. He put a lot of thought into what he wanted to do about Clara. He even talked to his mom about it. What he realized was that he loved Clara and wanted to spend his life with her, but before they could start moving towards that he would have to show her everything about him, and that included the Warehouse. So he called her and invited her over to the B&amp;B.

Clara was a little nervous because Pete had said he'd needed to talk to her about something. Like Pete she had come to realize that she was in love with this man she'd known for a little over a year, and she really wanted to see where this relationship was going. She tried to convince herself that Pete would ask her to come over to his house to break up with her, but there was still that lingering thought in the back of her head. When she got to the Bed and Breakfast where he lived he walked her into the living room and sat beside her on the sofa.

"Clara." Pete said while rubbing the back of his neck. "Man, I'm not good at this, give me a second." He took a breath and then said, "I really, really like you." He blushed, that sounded so childish. "And I want us to be an us but before we go any further I need you to know something."

Clara caressed his cheek and smiled warmly at him. "What is it Pete?"

"It's about what I do." He admitted. Then after several long, almost painful moments, he said, "Ok there's no way to really explain." Shooting to his feet he held out his hand to her and to his relief she took it. He drove her over to the Warehouse and took her inside.

"We're only allowed to tell one person about this place." Pete said as they stood on the catwalk and he watched Clara looking out over the sea of artifacts. "All of that out there, those are called artifacts, things that can do all kinds of unbelievable things. I go out and collect them and bring there here to be stored safely because they're not always safe to be out in the world."

Turning to look at Pete Clara asked, "You can only share this with one outside person and you choose me? Why?"

He stepped closer to her and took her hands in his own. "Because I love you and I wanted you to know the truth about me, about my life."

Closing what space had been between them Clara kissed Pete. When she pulled back she said, "I love you too."

Pete never knew he could feel this good, this happy. He kissed her in a way that promised her forever and more.

This time when the kiss ended Clara was a bit breathless as she said, "This makes so much more sense than you working for the IRS."

"Why?" Pete said with a chuckle.

"You break out in hives when you think about calculating a tip." Clara teased.

Pete laughed and kissed her again.


	5. Chapter 5

Every summer when he was a kid his dad would take them camping. They would go all over the country but one of Pete's favorite places was close to home in Canton Ohio. Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park campgrounds meant a lot to Pete, so it was something special to share the place with Clara for a few days. He had picked a place where they would have some privacy from the other campers, and after they'd pitched their tent and set up their supplies he showed Clara around the park. There was a lot to do aside from just straight up camping and he planned on experiencing it all with Clara, but not all on this trip. He had something else planned for this trip.

They hiked and fished, spent part of a day at the water park, had a cookout dinner with the costumed characters from animated Jellystone, and with each smile she'd give him, each sound of her laugh, Pete knew more and more that Clara was the one meant for him. On the third night of their trip Pete and Clara were laying outside the tent looking up at the stars. Clara was cuddled up against him as she pointed out the constellations he'd been teaching her. It was the perfect moment, lying there sharing something so meaningful to him, something that was apart of him and his dad. Pete squirmed a little so he could reach into the pocket of his cargo pants. He tried not to be obvious so it would be a surprise, and thankfully Clara didn't seem to notice. When she was finished telling him about the little dipper he made a humming noise, one that said he'd discovered something interesting, and then said, "I think there's one missing."

"A star?" Clara asked as she looked up at the night sky. "Which one?"

Pete opened the hinged velvet box one handed and then held it up and out so it was above them so they could see it against the starry night sky. "This one."

The round ribbon diamond Tiffany engagement ring sparkled just like a star as Clara gasped. "Pete?"

Pete shifted so he was on one knee beside the woman he loved. He gave her a moment to sit up and then said, "Marry me, Clara?"

She was surprised to say the least. They hadn't really ever talked about marriage but she knew that if Pete ever asked she'd say yes, which was weird because before Pete she'd never even considered getting married. She'd always been the sort who thought if it happened it happened if it didn't that was fine too. Sitting there looking at this silly, loving, deeply caring, protective man she loved with all her heart she knew without a doubt this was what she wanted. "Yes."

He slipped the ring on her finger with trembling hands and then pulled her close for a kiss.

When he got home and told the others they were beyond happy for him. Myka had warmed to Clara once she was sure the woman wouldn't hurt Pete, and she'd been the first one to hug her after their announcement. With both of their families on the east side of the country Pete and Clara decided to have the wedding in Cleveland. Before they'd moved to North Canton Pete's family had lived in the Westpark area of Cleveland, where both of his parents had grown up. Despite the fact that Clara's family technically belonged to the parish of St. Colman's, she wanted their wedding to be held at St. Patrick's, which was Pete's family parish. That meant a lot to Pete. His parents had been married there, he and Jeannie christened there, and his father's funeral had been there. They booked Windows on the River for the reception. The room they choose had floor to ceiling windows with breathtaking views of the city and a outdoor patio that offered not only views of the city but the river as well. Though he pretty much let Clara handle things Pete was more than willing to help out when it came to picking the menu and cake options, especially the cake options.

Of course before anything more could be done for the wedding Pete had something very important to take care of. Standing outside the Warehouse waiting on the artifact tracking football to land so he could throw it again Pete waited for Myka to pull in. He knew she was on her way back from snagging an artifact with the new agent Mrs. Fredric had brought in. Having one married couple with a family working for the Warehouse was one thing, but having another married agent in their ranks that insisted on continuing to be an agent while also starting his own family meant they would need another pair of hands. Matias Reyes was a young secret service agent who'd saved a senator from an artifact attack and had easily caught Mrs. F's eye. Now he was their new rookie, much to Steve's relief. Steve was so tired of being the new guy.

Pete smiled as he caught the football just as Myka's black suv pulled up. He gave her and Matt a wave and called out, "Got a minute, Mykes?"

"Sure." Myka replied as she let Matt take a large crate from the back of the svu. "Take that into Artie. I'll be in, in a sec to help with the paperwork." While Matt headed inside Myka walked towards Pete who was just launching the football for another pass around its orbit. "What's up?"

"Do you remember our first day here?" Pete asked.

Myka laughed. "I remember ruining a good pair of shoes."

Pete laughed at the memory of Myka standing in a pile of cow manure. When his fit of giggles was over he looked at her. "We didn't like each other very much then."

"No, I suppose we didn't." Myka said with a soft smile.

"I'm really glad that didn't last." Pete said with a soft smile of his own. "Cause it would be weird to ask you to be my best man at my wedding if we still didn't like each other."

Myka's face lit up and she smiled. "Yeah, it would have been weird for me to say I'd be honored to stand up for you at your wedding, Pete, you know if we still didn't like each other."

"Thanks Mykes." Pete said and then pulled his best friend into his arms and hugged her tight. "Ya know," He said as he finally let her go. "Clara owes you big time. You helped make me a better man, Mykes. You helped me become the man she loves."

"You were always a good man, Pete." Myka replied. "You just needed to gown up a little and you did that."

"Yeah, but you helped me to do it." Pete said before kissing her forehead.

"Since you have Myka standing up for you I've asked Alex to stand by my side." Clara said while she and Pete cuddled on the swing in her backyard. Between their jobs and planning a wedding they'd both been busy beyond belief so they'd taken the night off from everything. They'd gone out to a movie and dinner at Applebee's and now they were just sitting in her yard enjoying the lake, the evening, and their favorite drinks.

"He's going to look great in those emerald green dresses you pick out." Pete said with a teasing chuckle.

"I know you're trying to be funny but he actually would." Clara said with a laugh.

Pete laughed a little harder but before he could respond Sasha barked to let them know someone was coming around the house. A moment later Jane's voice called out, "Hello?"

"Mom?" Pete called back. "Back here."

Jane smiled as she followed her son's voice. Her smiled brightened a little when she saw Pete and Clara sitting on the swing together. For a moment she saw a different handsome dark haired young man and his favorite redhead sitting on a front porch swing and her heart swelled and squeezed a bit in her chest. "I hope I'm not intruding."

"Of course you're not, Jane." Clara said brightly as she began to stand to greet her future mother-in-law but Jane waved her off, singling her to stay put.

"What's up?" Pete asked once Jane had taken a seat in one of the wicker chairs.

"Well, I wanted to stop by to give you both something." Jane said honestly. Since Jane still lived in Cleveland she'd been helping the kids arrange things so she knew what was settled and what still needed to be done. She liked Clara, she liked her a lot, and she was happy with Pete's choice. She knew her son was in good hands. "Now, I don't expect you to use them, so don't feel obligated too. If you want to get your own set that's fine." She pulled a jewelry box out of her purse and handed it to Pete. "But, I've been thinking a lot about it and I want you to have these."

Pete looked at his mother for a long moment before he could bring himself to open the box. Wedged into the velvet berth were two gold bands. Pete's heart stopped in his chest and he suddenly had no idea how to take in a breath.

"I had something added to the inscription." Jane said softly.

Since Pete couldn't seem to move Clara reached for the smaller of the bands. The inside of the ring had a claddagh design, a heart held by two hands and topped with a crown which stood for love, friendship, and loyalty, engraved on it as well as two sets of numbers. Bright green eyes looked up for a meaning.

Jane smiled softly. "4994 is my husband's badge number. He had it engraved without me knowing. He showed it to me during the ceremony just before putting it on my finger. I think he was trying to make me cry the big lout." She chuckled softly at the sweet memory of her late husband. "Since I didn't have a badge number when we got back from our honeymoon we had my birthday engraved in his." Pete finally found the power to move and breath. He pulled out the larger band and held it between his fingers while his mother continued speaking. It had the same claddagh design and a different set of numbers. "The other set of numbers in the smaller band is…"

"Pete's badge number." Clara said in a soft voice full of awe.

Jane nodded. "And your birthday in the bigger band."

Looking up Pete finally found his voice. It was thick with emotion and he had to clear it twice to get rid of the crackle in it. "These are your and Dad's wedding rings."

Again Jane nodded. "We had a good marriage, a happy one. There were good times and bad times, highs and lows, and we weathered it all together because we loved each other. He was my one and I was his girl. This is my way of saying I want that for you two." She smiled at her son as she reached out to take his hand. "Those rings have good vibes, Peter. Really good vibes."

Pete nodded. He could feel it too.

"We'd be honored to wear them, Jane." Clara said with tears in her voice. "Thank you."

The church was done up in pale greens, pale blues, and white. Clara's bridal bouquet was made up of blue irises, green cymbidium orchids, and white roses and the church décor reflected that. Soft classical music played while the guests arrived and took their seats. Clara was in the bridal suite with her mother, two bridesmaid cousins and her best friend Alex while Pete was waiting with Myka in the vestibule to make his entrance. He was a bundle of nerves and kept fidgeting with his tie, which Myka would have to fix. After the fourth or fifth time she smacked his hand and told him no with the same look she gave Charlie when her toddler tried excreting her will by repeatedly touching something she shouldn't.

Pete huffed. "I didn't abuse you at your wedding."

Myka chuckled. "Yeah well my wife is scarier than your soon to be wife."

"So very true." Pete said as he laughed. Laughing helped to relax him and he was able to take a deep breath. When his music cue began to play he and Myka along with his brother-in-law who would act as sign language interpreter for Jeannie, and Steve took their places at the alter. The start of the bridal precession saw Claudia as baby wrangler as Clara's cousin's daughter and Charlie toddled down the aisle to an instrumental Can't Help Falling in Love. The girls wore matching fluffy white dresses with emerald green sashes and fairy headbands of braided clover, heather, and baby's breath. While Grace did her part as flower girl Charlie carried the rings on a lace pillow, and with Claudia's help they stuck side by side as they walked down the aisle. Until of course Charlie saw her Uncle Pete standing at the alter, that's when she gave off the ear splitting squeal of joy that only small children can do and took off at a toddler's run straight for him. Wedding or no she hadn't seen him for days and would not be content until she got a hug from him. Pete laughed as he picked her up and kissed her cheek. Helena smiled brightly as she got up from where she sat with Artie, Jane, and Jeannie in the pew to retrieve her daughter.

The music shifted again as Clara's two bridesmaids began their walk down the aisle followed by Alex. Like Myka the bridesmaids were in emerald green satin v-neck sleeveless dresses, though Myka's differed in detail to set her apart as Pete's best person. Alex, Steve and Pete's brother-in-law wore emerald green vests and ties, Alex's tie being stripped, while Pete wore a white vest and tie. His splash of green came from the flower on his lapel.

Once everyone was in place the music shifted one last time. Pete's focus zeroed in on the beautiful redhead who began walking towards him in what felt like slow motion. Clara walked down the aisle on her father's arm. She wore a strapless white tulle dress with beaded accepts at the top, around her waist, and down the skirt. Her hair was down and had a slight wave to it. She wore pear drop earrings her mother had just given her and a bracelet that had been worn by every bride since her great great-grandmother. When she locked eyes with Pete she smiled at him and he lit up like a beacon. For those precious moments no one but the two of them existed.

Taking a step forward when Clara and her dad finally reached the front Pete let Clara's father take her hand from his arm and place it in Pete's. Pete wrapped his fingers around her hand and smiled.

"You'd better take good care of my girl." Clara's father said softly.

Pete looked at him and said, "I will. I promise."

Clara's father nodded and then took a step back and then walked over to join Clara's mother on the first pew of the bride's side. Pete and Clara smiled at each other again and then stepped closer to the priest. The old man smiled at the couple and then looked out at their gathered family and friends. He welcomed them and then once again focused on the couple. "My dear friends, you have come together in this church so that the Lord may seal and strengthen your love in the presence of the Church's minister and this community. Christ abundantly blesses this love. He has already consecrated you in baptism and now he enriches and strengthens you by a special sacrament so that you may assume the duties of marriage in mutual and lasting fidelity. And so, in the presence of the Church, I ask you to state your intentions."

"Peter and Clara, have you come here freely and without reservation to give yourselves to each other in marriage? He asked.

They both nodded and said, "We have."

"Will you love and honor each other as man and wife for the rest of your lives?" He asked next.

Again they nodded. "We will."

"Will you accept children lovingly from God and bring them up according to the law of Christ and his Church?" He asked.

"We will." They agreed.

The priest smiled pleasantly, happily. He had been the same priest who'd serviced Pete's father's funeral and even though he hadn't done it himself he'd been in attendance at Pete and Jeannie's christenings. "Since it is your intention to enter into marriage, join your right hands, and declare your consent before God and his Church."

Pete held Clara's hand and looked into her eyes. His own were glassy with tears and his smile bright as he said, "I, Peter, take you Clara to be my wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life."

Clara could feel the tremble in Pete's hand and that helped calm her own nervous tremors as she said, "I, Clara, take you Peter to be my husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life."

Having witnessed their declarations the priest said, "You have declared your consent before the Church. May the Lord in his goodness strengthen your consent and fill you both with his blessings. What God has joined, men must not divide."

To which the gathered guests replied, "Amen."

Taking the rings the priest held them as he spoke, "Lord, bless and consecrate Peter and Clara in their love for each other. May these rings be a symbol of true faith in each other, and always remind them of their love. Through Christ our Lord."

Again the gathered guests replied, "Amen."

Pete took the offered ring, the band that had spent so many years on his mother' hand, and slipped it onto Clara's. "Clara, take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

For a moment Clara took her eyes off Pete to look at Jane who beamed a smile at her. Clara returned the smile while using the lace handkerchief Alex slipped her to dab at her eyes. Then she turned back to Pete, accepted the larger wedding band, and slipped it onto Pete's hand. "Peter, take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

In that moment Pete would swear for the rest of his life that he felt a large strong hand on his shoulder and that he smelled a mix of old spice, lava soap, and wood smoke. The priest said more stuff but Pete was lost in the feeling of Clara's hand on his cheek while her thumb brushed at a tear. He did however hear the part following the final blessing when the priest said he could kiss his bride. They closed the distance between them and Pete smiled before kissing Clara in a way that was probably a little too personal for their current setting.

"Ladies and gentlemen," The priest said with amusement in his voice. "I give you for the first time Mr. and Mrs. Peter and Clara Lattimer."

The crowd cheered as Pete and Clara made their way up the aisle hand in hand. The newlyweds had a few moments alone while everyone gathered outside to see them to the car that would take them to the reception. Pete held his new wife close and couldn't stop smiling. "I love you Mrs. Lattimer."

"I love you Mr. Lattimer." Clara replied before kissing him.

Fire departments were a lot like the Warehouse in that they became families, and once you were a part of that family you were always part of that family. As Pete and Clara stepped out of the church his father's FD's pipe and drum band began playing while their guests showered them with birdseed. They paused for a moment to listen and Clara raised her hand to place on Pete's chest where she knew he would have his father's badge in the inside pocket of his jacket. Then they made their way to the classic white Cadillac they were taking to the reception.

Clara had more than willingly marathoned through every streamable season of My Fair Wedding much to Claudia's delight. Between the two they'd worked out a really nice plan for the reception. They had the City Room at Windows and it was all decked out in a mix of warm and bright blues and greens and twinkling lights. It was inviting and warm, as well as fun and whimsical. Outside the huge windows the sun was setting and soon the city would light up. While their guests waited on them to arrive they were given hors d'oeuvers and an open bar. Pete had personally picked out the mini crab cakes and the petite potato pancakes with chive sour cream, while Clara had added bruschette di roma and water chestnuts wrapped in bacon. After the wedding party and couple were introduced everyone sat down to a dinner of either grilled chicken vinaigrette topped with tomato relish, roasted prime rib, or baked halibut. They had a dessert table as well as a cake. The cake looked as if it were covered in lace in the same shade of blue as Clara's irises, with their initials in script writing on the center tier, and a beautiful porcelain statute of a featureless couple embracing.

They danced to Boyce Avenue's Heaven and Natalie Cole's This Will Be. When Clara threw her bouquet Claudia, who hadn't been trying to catch it, caught it and squeaked. "Will you stop doing that!" She'd caught Helena's at her and Myka's wedding as well. Pete flung the garter at Steve on purpose, which made the man blush and glare. They partied well into the night and then Pete and Clara got back into their car and drove over to the Ritz Carlton where they spent their wedding night in one of the better suites. The next day they made their way to the airport where they headed off to their honeymoon in New Zealand.

Falling asleep with Clara in his arms Pete couldn't even remember feeling lost and alone. He'd been so worried about finding his one but he shouldn't have been. She'd been out there he'd just had to wait for her, and oh how she'd been worth the wait.


End file.
